Appleby Horse Fair – Trotting and Racing The Flashing Lane

As I showed in a previous post the horses had been washed down in the Eden River as they had been for centuries, ready for potential buyers and, maybe, run out on the ‘flashings’.

To attract buyers for their horses, the gypsies at Appleby Fair drive them at speed down the “flashing lane”. Although there are warnings to pedestrians that the should stay behind the barriers the numbers in the crowd mean that keeping pedestrians and horses separated is not always that easy. This is an exciting part of the spectacle at Appleby every year and this year’s good weather brought out the crowds. The horses at Appleby Fair are mostly Cobs and, although they are ridden, they are mainly used for pulling sulkies, wagons or caravans. When ridden it is generally bare back.

The photographs below will give you a feel of the scene.

These two gypsy girls obviously didn’t hear the warning shouts of “mind yer back” as the horse and drivers came galloping up the road at speed

You’ll see I got a bit close for comfort to the action in this one – a fast moving horse, slightly blurry with the speed, got a little bit too close to the lens for comfort….

About The Author

Long, long ago (back in analogue days) he travelled the world extensively including a two year around the world trip. He is now rediscovering the world with a digital camera. He originally trained as an ecologist and is particularly interested in environmental and wildlife issues.